


Pick Up the Pieces

by JGVFHL



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: A little, Blood, Domino Reunion, Domino Twins, Episode: s07e03 On the Wings of Keeradaks, Fives Is My Boy and He Lives, Fuck Canon, Gen, Give Clones Hugs 2k21, Had A Revelation, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Post-Episode: s06e04 Orders, Was Rewatching "Orders", Whump, Wrote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:41:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29635473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JGVFHL/pseuds/JGVFHL
Summary: His luck had to run out eventually, after three months on the run from what felt like half the galaxy. Crashing into an apparently desolate planet he only vaguely recognized should have been expected.
Relationships: CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives & CT-7567 | Rex
Comments: 10
Kudos: 44





	1. It's Good to See You

**Author's Note:**

> Okay listen I know I should be working more on the Shiv Palpatine/To Kill the King fic, and I swear I was, but then this idea came up behind me and snatched me. IT NEEDED TO BE WRIT. But I am working on the other one, just school is kicking my writing schedule/motivation's buttocks right now ;-;

There was a ringing in the air, somehow overpowering the blaring alarms coming from the control panel. There was the distinct scent of smoke in his nose, but that was mixed with the tang of blood on his tongue. He couldn’t honestly tell if the blood was from his split lip coming open again, or his nose starting up again. Finally conscious enough to move, he brought a hand to his head--his helmet, actually. It was still intact on the outside, although the right half of the HUD was down. He almost didn’t notice it; his right eye still swollen shut from the hit it’d taken about twenty hours ago. Stars, he missed bacta. He would dunk his whole head in a vat if he could.

But no. No bacta. Barely any supplies to clean himself up as it was. After determining nothing felt broken--except his nose, maybe, but that had happened with the black eye, not this crash--he scanned the control panel to see the extent of the damage there. Most of the dials and readouts were toast, although the navicomputer had helpfully frozen on a glitched combination of the name of this Maker-abandoned rock and the warning symbol for impending impact. Skako Minor. It rang some little bell, but his head was too muddled to interpret it. He hauled himself out of the pilot’s seat and clambered out of the ship.

The wind struck him as soon as he stepped out. Instinctively, he put a hand up in front of his face, although his helmet blocked his face. The landscape was barren, as far as his HUD could pick up through the wind. The weather had not exactly helped his… descent. With a sigh, he turned to survey the damage.

It hadn’t been a very big ship to start. He’d stolen it from a small-scale trader. Now, with the front third of it smashed into the rock, it was even smaller. And smoking. And probably a fire and/or explosion hazard, he finally realized. He must have a concussion. Luckily, he had nothing of value left in it to go back for. His two blaster pistols were at his hips, his vibroblade was in his boot, and he had his helmet. Thank  _ Force _ he still had this helmet.

He was, of course, still stuck on this seemingly empty planet with a ship that he  _ knew _ couldn’t be fixed without some serious mechanical help. He had no more ship, really. Great. Fantastic. He silently mouthed several other adjectives to himself. This concussion was not helping matters either. He moved away from the smoking hull, stumbling a bit from his headache and the wind. Where was he supposed to go? Skako Minor… he did know that name, but why? What would be in a horrible windy place like this?

Turning slowly around again, his HUD finally picked something up in a calmer moment. It was a tall rock structure, in a roughly straight line from the nose of his ship. His HUD locator only pinned it for a moment or two before the wind swept in again, making readings impossible, but, it was something. He started walking.

As he drew nearer the rock formation, the wind started to die down, much to his relief. The constant motion in front of his eyes was only making his concussion symptoms worse, and he was glad when the dust finally cleared. From the top of the curious formation, he looked down some sixty feet on a small village of sorts, cradled by a depression in the surrounding plains. The homes were pointed, conical shapes, looking a bit like volcanoes from above. The spindly-limbed inhabitants were crowded around a small group of… people. Or humanoids, anyway. He tapped a panel on the side of his helmet to zoom in.

He drew a sharp breath, flinching a bit at the noise it made, then wincing when he discovered some sore ribs. He’d know that armor anywhere.

Rex.

Logically, then the one without armor was General Skywalker. Kark.

The other four, he had never seen. They wore armor like troopers, but… not any sort of regulation gear he’d ever seen. Were they stuck here too? It seemed unlikely, with just Rex and the general (and whoever the other guys were), but then again… stranger things had happened while following a Skywalker plan.

His eyes finally landed on the ship in one corner of the round depression. Not stuck, then. The ship had some… interesting nose art, though. Imagining General Skywalker’s reaction to seeing his Not Wife like that almost brought a smile to his face. Almost.

Tapping the side panel again to return to normal vision, he took his eyes off the gathering below him. He wasn’t seriously considering this, was he? Was he really going to turn himself in to get off this planet? How else was he getting out of here? He started signing to himself, trying to think of any other options.

_ My ship is busted. It’s scrap. I don’t have a single kriffing tool to even pry the main electrical panel open. _

_ There is no way I’m stealing that ship. _

_ … I could in theory steal that ship. _

_ I am not stealing that ship. I am not going to strand Rex out here. _

He didn’t have another option. He struck the soft side of his fist against the rock beside him. He didn’t have another option.

Well. Three-and-a-bit months was a pretty good record in avoiding capture by the entire GAR. And at least he was going in on his terms.

The more he tried to reassure himself this plan was for his own good, the more adrenaline spiked in his blood. By the time he’d descended the rock formation to the lip of the depression, his hands were shaking and his stomach felt even queasier than it had upon coming around in his crashed ship.

Was he going to have to lie? He looked down at his hands, watching the minute tremors. Yeah… lying was out of the question. He’d always been  _ osik _ at it, and he was worse under stress. Skywalker’s Jedi tricks would pick it up a mile away.

Against every instinct telling him to “just run you moron,” he started descending the sloping sides of the depression, digging his heels in and leaning back on his left arm to control his speed. As he’d suspected (dreaded?), the noise drew attention from the crowd at the other side of the village. And he just stood there. Waiting. Scared.

General Skywalker stopped just out of normal sparring range, Rex at his right shoulder, one hand already resting on one of his pistols. The other four arrayed behind them, helmets on, the giant and the sniper with weapons in hand, but at rest. The native inhabitants gathered at a farther distance, uncertain.

The general crossed his arms and cocked his head to one side. “And who are you?”

Despite the fact he was only going to reveal himself eventually, he still signed. “My ship crashed. Hyperdrive went out, I think one of the main engine circuits fried.” He turned and pointed in the direction of the ship.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Can you hear us?” Rex signed quickly.

“Yes, I can hear.” He hesitated. “It’s just… force of habit.”

The general and his captain exchanged a small glance. It was a weird habit. But it was one that had kept him alive these past months. “If you’re looking for passage off this planet,” Skywalker finally said, “we have to know who you are.”

As he had suspected. Time to rip the bandage off. With a silent sigh, he lowered his head slightly and hooked his thumbs under the helmet’s edge, feeling the small rush of air as he lifted it, slowly. He was careful to avoid his swollen eye, but in doing so found a large bruise forming near his hairline just above his left brow. Great.

When his face was finally visible, he kept his eyes directed at the toes of Rex’s boots, gripping his helmet to stop the tremors in his hands showing.

The first thing he heard was a quiet, “What the hell?” from one of the four strange troopers. The voice… sounded like a clone. Huh.

“Fives?” Rex and Skywalker were in unison, each a slightly different flavor of incredulous.

How long had it been since he’d heard his own name? Probably around three-and-a-bit months, but it felt longer. It still sounded good. Still sounded like him. Maker knows he hadn’t felt like himself in ages. It was getting tiring.

“Wait…” a different strange trooper spoke up, audibly curious. “As in ARC-5555? Fives?”

_ Evidently my reputation precedes me. Yay… _

“This guy tried to kill the Chancellor?” yet another of the four said, sounding far from impressed. Must be the sniper.

“Allegedly, yes,” Rex replied forcefully. Was he defending him?

“The allegations sounded pretty convincing to me,” Skywalker said, and Fives could feel his gaze sharpen on him. Of all the people he could have picked to do this with, General “Chancellor’s Pet” Skywalker had been at the bottom of any list.

Raising his eyes just slightly, he watched Rex’s helmet turn to the general. There was a beat, and then the captain said, “We’re not having this conversation again,” in a tone denying any further comment.

The general didn’t push it, as he sometimes did. He looked back to Fives. “You’re a fugitive, Fives. We’re not just gonna drop you off at some spaceport.”

He nodded, not expecting anything else. He opened his mouth to speak, and had to override the immediate urge to shut it again, and then found his throat rough from disuse, and had to take more time until he felt sound might actually come out. “I’m turning myself in.” Maker, he barely sounded human to his own ears. “So… unless those four are gonna be my firing squad, you have to take me somewhere else.”

“Fives…” Rex started.

“Fine.” The general’s interruption sounded so definite, for a moment Fives thought he might have chosen the firing squad idea. It was startling enough to make him raise his head fully to look at everyone for the first time since removing his helmet. “Hunter,” the general continued, turning his head to the trooper with half a skull painted on his dark helmet. “Is there a space in the  _ Marauder _ you can make secure?”

Judging by Hunter’s body language, he wasn’t a fan of this situation. But he nodded. “Yes.”

“Fives will stay there while we finish what we came to do.”

“Sir,” Rex once again started, but was once again cut off.

“I’m not taking him with us, Rex. I don’t care how close he is to the mission.”

“I understand that, sir,” the captain replied, and Fives could hear the restraint in his voice. And what did he mean he was _close to the mission?_ “I had hoped you wouldn’t think I would argue to bring a concussed, dehydrated, exhausted, _bloodied_ soldier on a mission unless I had no other option _._ I’m simply wondering if it is strictly necessary to secure him.”

Fives blinked his good eye, flipping his helmet around in his hands and glancing at his reflection in the visor.  _ Kriff, _ he looked awful. He winced when he saw just how much blood he hadn’t managed to clean off. The bruise at his hairline wasn’t a bruise, but a gash, likely from the inside of his helmet, which had likely busted his HUD. A long trail of blood dripped from it, snaking around his eye and down the side of his face. And yes, his nose had started bleeding again after the crash. As had his lip. Yeah, he was a wreck, and that just counted injuries. His hair was long enough to stick out at odd angles in tiny ringlets, and he actually grimaced as he surveyed the uneven beard he hadn’t had either the time or the tools to tame for a few weeks. But his ‘5’ tattoo was still visible. Blessing and curse, in a way.

He’d missed General Skywalker’s reply while he was examining himself, so when he noticed Hunter and Rex step towards him, he stumbled back reflexively, bringing the helmet up in front of his chest like a shield. A new wave of adrenaline shot through his system, combining with his concussion to make his vision swim.

“Hey, take it easy, Fives,” Rex said, holding up open hands. “We’re just gonna take you to the ship, okay?” He didn’t sound happy about it, so the general must have insisted on locking him up.

After a moment to clear his head and wait for his heart rate to descend, he nodded.

“You can put your bucket back on if it makes you feel better,” Rex added.

Fives did, carefully, and gratefully. He was fairly certain that, if not for Rex, he’d be in a full-blown panic attack at this point. Rex and Hunter flanked him, the others parting to let them through, even the lanky native inhabitants. Fives tried not to stare.

As if reading his mind--and after almost three years of war, it wasn’t surprising--Rex said quietly, “They’re called the Poletecs. Tech--the guy with the goggles--he’s got a helluva translator for ‘em. It’s the only reason they let us in here.”

Fives signed, “Allies?”

“Neutral, I guess. The Techno Union doesn’t bother them; they don’t bother the Techno Union. Their chief agreed to lead us to their base here.”

Right, the Techno Union. That was why Fives knew the name Skako Minor. He nodded. After a few more seconds, he couldn’t resist his curiosity, and asked, “And who are… these guys?”

Hunter gave a quiet chuckle as he read the apprehension in his hands. “We’re an experimental group. Clone Force Ninety-Nine. But we call ourselves the Bad Batch.”

“Ninety-Nine?” he repeated, looking to Rex. It couldn’t be a coincidence that a group called the Bad Batch had the number ninety-nine.

Rex’s bucket dipped as he nodded. “Yes, that Ninety-Nine.”

“You knew Ninety-Nine?” Hunter asked, the half-skull on his helmet turning to Fives.

Fives frowned under his visor. How did he explain to Hunter that his probable mentor and inspiration had died in his batchmate’s arms? He looked to Rex for help.

“Well, the way I was told it,” the captain said, “if it weren’t for Ninety-Nine, you and Fives here might have been on maintenance duty together on Kamino.”

That was entirely true from Fives’ side of the story. If Ninety-Nine hadn’t convinced Hevy to stay, Domino wouldn’t have completed their second try at the final test and graduated to troopers. He looked to Hunter. He couldn’t see the man’s face, of course, but he made a noise of contemplation.

“He looks like a reg,” was what he actually said. “Aside from the… y’know.”

“The mess?” Fives supplied in sign.

“Yeah, that.”

Rex chuckled. “Well, his squad--Domino wasn’t ‘bad’ the same way the Bad Batch are. They were just… uncoordinated. Little headstrong, little stubborn. Old Ninety-Nine helped pull ‘em together, right?” Fives nodded as firmly as his pounding headache would allow.

“Were you in the Battle of Kamino?” Hunter asked, but something in his tone said that wasn’t all he was asking.

Fives answered this time, still silently. “I was there. Echo--my batchmate and I, we were helping Ninety-Nine with the cadets when he… when he was killed. Rex was there. So was Commander Cody.”

“Wait--” Hunter paused a step, turning more of his body to face Fives. “You’re Echo’s batcher?” He added to Rex, “That’s what the general meant about him being ‘close’ to the mission?”

Fives’ head snapped up--a horrible decision, and he winced when his whole head throbbed. Rex nodded. He  _ nodded. _ That’s why they were here? For  _ Echo? _ Echo… was he…? Could he…?

“Yes, that’s what the general meant. And yes, Fives, we’re here because we think there’s a possibility the Techno Union have Echo. Or… have what’s left of him. We’re not sure. All we can trace is a weak signal that repeats his designation over and over again, but even that signal goes off and on.”

They had reached the ship, the  _ Marauder _ . Hunter opened the door from a button panel on his gauntlet. He led the two of them towards the stern of the ship and typed a passcode to open a small room, then stepped back so Fives could look into it. It wasn’t much. It looked like a storage room with all the crates and the bare walls, but he found he didn’t much care, still repeating what Rex had just told him in his mind.

Hunter shrugged, sliding off his bucket now he was inside. “It’s what we have.” The half-skull tattoo carried onto his face, and his long hair was held out of his eyes with a bandana the same red as his armor accents. But his face was definitely Fett’s, and that made him a brother regardless.

“Got a light for it?” Rex asked. The room was currently dark, except for the chunk of light through the door.

“Oh. I guess Tech hasn’t gotten around to fixing it yet. Hang on,” said Hunter, and he walked past Fives and Rex to go look for something.

“Any chance you’ve got some medical supplies too?” Rex added. He nodded.

Fives flicked on his helmet’s light in the meantime to step in and get a better look. There were crates stacked along one wall, and what looked like small storage lockers set into the other. Hunter returned momentarily with a small lantern and a similarly sized medpack, which he gave to Rex to give to Fives. He set them both down on the crates and turned off his helmet light.

“Think you can deal with this?” Rex asked. It sounded callous, but Fives knew from experience he was showing genuine concern.

He could. He wouldn’t like it, being in a confined space for so long. But he could deal with it, especially if there was a possibility of seeing Echo at the end. Force, he would do just about anything to see Echo again right now. He answered, making sure his hands were in the light. “Do I have much of a choice?”

“Yeah, I know, I don’t like it either.”

Fives nodded. “I’ll be okay.” He hesitated, watching Hunter don his helmet once more, and Rex step back to let him close and lock the door. Fives cleared his throat again to speak. The captain’s attention went to him instantly. “Bring him back, please.” His voice was still strange to hear.

“I will do everything I can, Fives.”

* * *

Rex hadn’t given any sort of estimate at how long the mission would take, but it wouldn’t take too long, otherwise they wouldn’t have left him like this. Right? He had decided not to think too hard about it and work up more panic than he needed. The first thing he did was open the medpack to start at least cleaning his face up, even if he didn’t have the technology or skill to know if his nose was broken and needed setting or if the gash on his head would need sutures. What he did have, finally, was bacta gel.

There was enough room in the storage closet to stretch out on the floor, and he found the hard press of the floor against his body was a strange comfort. It helped that the bacta on his face was gently numbing his black eye, busted nose, and bashed up forehead. For the first time in months, he didn’t have to be three steps ahead of anyone. He didn’t have to sleep with one eye open (although that was all he could manage at the moment). Even if he was a prisoner, it meant they had to keep him alive. He could afford to rest now.

The realization settled on him like a weighted blanket, pressing a sigh from his lips. His good eye slid closed. He could rest. And maybe--possibly--hopefully--when he woke up, Echo would be there.

He awoke with a jolt when the floor suddenly pitched to one side. Flinging a hand out, he grabbed onto the crates and pulled himself upright, his other hand already seeking his helmet out of habit. By the time the helmet was in his hands and hovering over his head, he remembered where he was and stopped. The ship must have taken off. How long had he slept? Was Rex back? Was Echo…?

He got to his feet slowly, tucking his helmet under his arm and bracing himself on one wall as his head started throbbing again. It was slightly lessened now, but it still hurt. There was a second jolt, then he heard the ship’s landing gear hiss and the engines cut off. Odd. Such a short flight. Or maybe not? Force, he wanted a window so badly.

Still leaning on the wall, he made it to the door and gave it three solid thumps with his fist.

After a moment, he heard heavy boots coming towards the door. “Oh! Sorry, shoulda told you I was movin’ the ship.” This was a different voice. Quickly comparing it to the others he had heard, Fives concluded this booming voice belonged to the giant he hadn’t heard speak yet. “Guess the clankers didn’t get enough of us in the city, so they followed us here!” The man laughed, edging on maniacal. “Just means more of ‘em for us to blast to scrap!” He laughed again, the noise trailing down the hall as he left the ship.

Fives blinked. A memory of Hardcase on Umbara flashed before his mind’s eye. Yeah. He liked that one.

What he didn’t like was the information that the Techno Union was attacking this village while he was locked up and useless. He could always shoot the door’s locking mechanism. They hadn’t taken his blasters or his vibroblade. But… he didn’t really want to give General Skywalker more reasons not to trust him. So, he had to stay here. More waiting.

The first ten or so minutes passed fairly uneventfully. From inside the storage room, he couldn’t hear the noises of battle unless it got too close. It was frustrating. All his training was begging for a chance to be in the fray, but he couldn’t risk it. He had to wait.

It got harder and harder just to wait when he suddenly felt the ground shake beneath the ship. Did Wat Tambor have a new big weapon? Skywalker and Rex were good, but were they  _ that _ good? He knew nothing about how the Bad Batch fought, but he had to imagine they were pretty damn good for Skywalker to go on a mission with them. The ground continued to shake every once in a while, doing absolutely nothing to ease his mind.

Finally, there were two massive impacts that sent shockwaves through the whole ship.

Fives stood still, listening intently over the sound of his heart thudding in his chest.

He wished he could comm Rex. He needed to hear things were alright.

But he was stuck waiting.

After several minutes dragged by, he heard someone step aboard. From the weight of the footsteps, it sounded like the same man that had moved the ship before.

Sure enough, he called down the hall so Fives could hear, “Oh,  _ man _ , you should’ve seen those clankers turn tail on us!” Fives relaxed slightly as he laughed over the victory. “Almost as good as hearing the captain scream when I launched him up to one of those walkers.”

Fives rolled his eye. General Skywalker had been launching Rex off and onto things as long as he could remember. Commander Tano had started picking up the habit too. The captain never could catch a break. The man’s footsteps faded as he got to the bridge. The ship shuddered to life and lifted off, touching down seconds later with a hiss and a jostle.

Just a bit more waiting.

The pilot exited the ship, and Fives couldn’t hear anything much outside. He flexed his fingers around the edge of his helmet in anticipation. Ten or so minutes dragged by, crawling slower than a century-old bantha.

He heard the ship’s main door open.

He heard multiple sets of footsteps come aboard. Some he could hear turn towards the bridge. But a few turned to come down the hall towards the storage room.

He stepped back when they stopped outside the door, his heart rate going to the stars for the umpteenth time today. The locking mechanism clicked, and the door slid open.

He barely registered Hunter stepping to one side because his eye gravitated to the man leaning lightly on Rex’s shoulder.

Rex took his helmet off and smiled. “We brought most of him back, anyway.”

Fives saw what he meant, his good eye taking in Echo’s strange new cybernetics. And the studs in his head, and the collar-like device, and the ribs sticking out under too pale skin… His heart twinged at how emaciated his brother was.

“You look like hell, Fives,” Echo said, his voice sounding almost as gravely from disuse as Fives’ did.

Fives’ laugh sounded more like a cough, and his smile made his eye hurt. He set his helmet down on the crates so his hands were free. “So do you, laser-brains,” he said, signing along in case his voice decided to cut out mid-sentence. “Come here.”

“Hey, I take offense to that,” his brother grinned before being enveloped in a solid hug.

Fives wanted to tuck his chin into the crook of his brother’s neck and shoulder, but with the collar still attached, he was worried it might hurt. He settled for placing his hand over it and resting his chin on that, hugging Echo’s thin frame as tightly as he dared.

Echo did bury his chin against his neck, sagging against him, his one hand digging fingers into his shirt. Then he lifted his chin and grunted, “Maker, you stink.”

“Shut up,” Fives replied, knowing he was right, and catching a glance of Rex’s smile widening. He pulled back, his hands going first to Echo’s shoulders--Fives wasn’t yet convinced he wouldn’t just collapse on the spot--and then to his face, gently, and just  _ looked. _ Outside of war, a year or so wasn’t all that long. But so much had happened…. So many battles, so much death, it felt like twice as long. The last three months had felt like six, and they had been painful, and terrifying, and  _ lonely _ . “It’s good to see you.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “It’s really kriffing good to see you--” Against his best efforts, his throat closed up at the very end, and he dipped his chin, hiding his expression.

“Hey,” Echo breathed, his hand coming to rest on the side of his head, his thumb brushing the tattoo on his temple. “Sit down before you fall over, dumbass.”

It had been over a year since they’d seen each other, and Echo could still read him like mission report. He let go and sat down with his back against the crates. Echo joined him, sitting to face him and folding his metal legs under him as best as he could before reaching out and pulling Fives back into a hug.

“When Rex said things were complicated, I didn’t think he meant this,” he said into Fives’ shoulder. It didn’t take a genius to see Fives wasn’t in anything GAR-issue--and he was locked up to boot.

He grunted a nonverbal reply, shifting his arms to hold Echo closer. When was the last time he’d had a hug? Before Ringo Vinda? Kriff. He squeezed his good eye shut against the burning sensation pricking it. He sniffed, knowing crying would just make a mess. While he had cleaned most of the blood off his face, he knew if his nose started running, it would be bloody.

But then Echo moved to put his hand on the back of his head and said, “Stars, Fives, would you just cry already?”

He choked out a laugh, because it was such a karking  _ Echo _ thing to say, and he hadn’t heard something like it in ages. It felt good to laugh again. The ship rumbled to life, and the motion brought Fives’ focus away from his batchmate to finally register that Rex was still hovering just outside the doorway, an unusually soft expression on his face. Echo turned and saw him too.

Fives caught a glimpse of an achingly familiar grin on Echo’s lips right before he quipped, “What, a few months without a good prank and Rex goes soft on us?” He clicked his tongue and shook his head sadly.

Half on instinct, Fives followed immediately with, “Wait, do you think all those times he threatened to court martial us for filling the training rifles with paint might have been  _ exaggerations, _ Echo?”

Echo turned around fully, putting his back against the crates and smushing his thin body against Fives’ side. “Gonna have to start new rumors about this.”

Rex shook his head, the small smile never leaving his face. He stepped into the room, setting his helmet down on the crates as Fives had, then sitting down across from them with his back to the opposite wall. “Yes, I missed you absolute karking morons. Happy?” Echo gave him a smug smile, leaning more heavily against Fives, who adjusted to wrap an arm around his bony shoulders. Rex rolled his eyes, but he still couldn’t shake the smile on his face. “I know for a fact you both need sleep,” he said, apparently giving up resistance and shifting fully into  _ buir _ Rex. “Get some rest, Domino.”

_ Domino. _ For the first time in months, the warm buzz of happiness was flooding Fives’ body instead of stress or fear, and he basked in it. That didn’t mean he was done poking at Rex, though. “Technically,” he said, his voice much stronger than it had been, “I deserted, so I don’t take orders from you anymore.”

Rex arched a brow at him, silently asking if he was really going to play that card. Echo turned on him. “Like hell you did--” He cut himself off and looked to Rex, who didn’t do anything but shrug.

“Yeah, well it wasn’t exactly my preferred method of not dying--”

_ “What?” _

“I said  _ not _ dying--”

“I heard that! That’s the part I don’t like!”

“It was important!”

“Yeah, it kriffing better be, you bastard.”

“Boys…” Rex cut into their discussion. “I said sleep. Fives, I’m still your  _ ori’vod _ , I’m allowed to tell you to get some damn sleep.”

Fives stuck his tongue out at him.

Rex flipped him off.

Echo snorted a laugh.


	2. Setting the Record Straight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I have too much fun writing Rex being Extremely Petty? Yes. Was it warranted? ... Yeah.

Fives and Echo slept most of the way back to Anaxes--as they should have--and Rex stayed with them. The first time Fives woke up and saw he hadn’t moved, he’d made some remark about picking favorites, but there wasn’t much bite to the sarcasm, and he’d drifted back to sleep soon afterwards.

This was a win. Rex kept telling himself that, in case he forgot and started worrying about the next stage of the assault on Anaxes, or about General Skywalker’s slightly concerning mood swings of late. As soon as he’d heard Echo’s designation on that weak transmission, he had, of course, been thrilled, but a small part of his mind had wondered what exactly he would have to tell him when he invariably asked where Fives was. So this was a win, even if they both were… well--given their current conditions. Kix and Coric would be busy once they got back, that’s for sure.

The _Havoc Marauder_ touched down at the Anaxes base hours later, jostling the twins awake. Rex had woken from a light nap when the ship had left hyperspace, so he was already on his feet, bucket under one arm.

“We’re back,” he told them. “You’re both going straight to medical, no excuses.”

“None offered,” Echo mumbled, clambering awkwardly to his new feet, his brother steadying him. “I’m tired of feeling like an alarm clock.”

Rex smiled, leading them out of the storage room and out of the ship. The Bad Batch had gathered nearby, but Skywalker was already walking back into the base. He needed a talking-to, and unfortunately, Rex had no desire to give him one. Maybe he should comm Cody to get General Kenobi. Whatever he decided, that was his second priority right now. He turned to look to his first.

Echo had slung his good arm over Fives’ shoulder, looking less like he needed the balance and more like he wanted the proximity. Fives looked apprehensive, surveying the bustling base with his one functional eye.

“You alright, Fives?” Rex asked.

After a second or two, he shrugged. “Are they gonna… I dunno--I don’t know how they all feel about… everything. The general seemed pretty adamant.”

Echo, thankfully ignorant of the general’s words, looked quizzically at Rex. “The general,” he said, “needs a talking-to. And I’ll make sure he gets one. You’ll be fine, Fives. As far as I’m concerned, you’re home. And if I hear anyone saying anything to the contrary, I’ll deal with it.”

That seemed to help. Echo didn’t pry, and Fives nodded, so they kept walking towards the base. Halfway there, Rex’s comm chimed. Kix had probably seen Skywalker arrive. “Kix, you and Coric have quite the task ahead of you,” he answered.

 _“Joy of joys. The mission was a success, then, sir?”_ the medic replied.

Rex glanced beside him at the twins. “Very much a success. And get Jesse over there too.”

_“Will do, sir.”_

The three of them did get some odd looks as they made their way to the medbay, and Rex couldn’t blame the onlookers. He could glare at them to make them move on with their business, however, and he did, liberally. The medbay on Anaxes was temporary, with dividing walls shipped in from the cruisers, and power generators for the various bits of machinery. Right now, only about two dozen rooms were set up, but they had supplies for about six times that ready. Coric saw them first as he waited outside an empty room, and he literally did a double take as they approached. They’d been expecting Echo. Fives was a bonus.

“Kar’ta!” he called into the room nextdoor. “We need a second bed in here.”

A shiny poked his head out of the room. “Wh--oh! I’ll go get one.”

Leaving him to do that, Coric walked over to meet Rex. “Bit of a surprise,” he said, smiling at Domino behind him.

Rex shrugged. “Good one, though.”

 _“You!”_ They all turned their attention to Kix, who had emerged from a room behind them and had a stormy expression directed at Fives. Rex tensed, prepared to step in if Kix tried anything. “You little Hutt spawn! You think you can just waltz into 79s, drop some bantha poodoo about kriffing _mind-control_ on me, then kark off to who knows where?” Kix’s glare intensified. “And then you show up months later looking like you’ve survived a stampede of rabid shaaks? _Really?”_

“Hello to you too, Kix,” Echo replied, filling his twin’s shocked silence.

Kix blinked at him. “Kriffing hells--Coric, get him on an IV before breaks a rib breathing.” He walked forward, adding, “Fives too, come on,” as he herded them into the room waiting for them.

Rex hovered by the entrance, giving the two medics plenty of space as they ushered Echo onto the bed and let Fives sit next to him on an empty supply crate until his bed arrived.

“Sorry about the 79s thing,” Fives said quietly as Kix tied a tourniquet around his arm for the IV placement.

Kix waved his hand in dismissal. “Don’t be. I get it. That stuff is dangerous.”

“You figured it out?”

“Eventually. Had some help.”

“Fives!” Rex almost swore at Jesse’s outburst _right next to his ear_. That ARC stealth training was certainly effective.

Kix did swear. “Jesse--Maker’s sake, I have a needle, and it was _millimeters_ away from going into a karking artery.”

Echo lifted his head from where he lay. “Is that Jesse underneath those ARC pauldrons?”

“When did that happen?” Fives smiled, barely noticing Kix finishing the IV.

“The promotion came through right after Ringo Vinda when you were on Kamino with Tup,” Jesse beamed. He had been dying to show off his ARC kit to Fives, and Rex knew he’d been worried he wouldn’t get the chance. Now both Echo and Fives could see, and he was absolutely over the moon.

“We were at 79s celebrating when you found me,” Kix added.

“Sorry I couldn’t stick around.”

“Wait,” Echo said, “does this mean you outrank us again?”

Jesse’s smile gained a slightly malicious leaning. “Yes, yes it does.”

Echo grumbled something about everything changing too fast, which Rex could appreciate. He and Jesse both turned to their right as Kar’ta reappeared with a second bed. They stepped aside to let him through.

Jesse ruffled the kid’s hair affectionately. “Hey, _Kar’t’ika_.”

“Hi, Jesse.” Everyone loved Coric’s pet shiny. He’d picked up the senior medic’s horrible sleep schedule (the lack of one), and would often raid the fresh supply shipments of fruit juice, but everyone still loved him.

As Kar’ta helped Kix move Fives, Rex heard his comm chime and groaned inwardly when he recognized his general’s frequency. “Jesse, do me a favor and check these are set to stun,” he murmured, drawing his pistols one at a time.

“... They are?”

“Thanks.” He holstered his weapons and walked away a few feet to have some semblance of privacy. “Sir?”

“I need you to keep me updated on Fives’ condition,” the general said, which was weird, and there had to be a catch. “I’ll have to report we have him in custody, and they’ll want to know when he can be transported.” And there it was.

Rex gritted his teeth but kept his calm. “I’ll keep you appraised, sir.” Before his professional filter could stop him, he added, “Should I tell Kix about your new dietary supplement, sir?”

There was a pause. “What?”

“I’m sure he’ll be very interested to know how the Chancellor’s boots taste.” Rex clicked the comm off and rejoined Jesse, clenching and unclenching his fists to try to work some of the utter indignation and anger out of his system.

“Everything okay?” Jesse asked quietly.

Rex was silent for a moment, watching the scene in the medbay room. Coric and Kar’ta were carefully cataloguing Echo’s cybernetics and various metal additions. Hopefully, most of them could be removed. They looked horribly uncomfortable. Echo didn’t seem to mind, though, pointing out ones they missed in between berating Fives for every injury--old or new--Kix found on him.

“Just worried the general doesn’t… doesn’t _see_ this kind of thing anymore,” he finally said, forcing calm upon himself so he wouldn’t interrupt the scene. “I mean… that’s _Domino_ . It’s Fives and Echo, they’re _back,_ and they’re…” He gestured to the two batchmates verbally sparring each other across the medbay. “And all he’s stuck on is what Fives did.”

“What he did is pretty serious,” Jesse pointed out.

“I know, that’s just it,” Rex agreed. “Fives is impulsive and stubborn and hotheaded, sure, but he’s loyal. He wouldn’t do something like that without a reason.”

“He’s loyal to us first, to his brothers, then the Republic. Always has been,” Jesse said.

“Exactly. So whatever he found on Kamino, whatever happened to Tup, is _big_ , Jess. I mean, kriff, Kix and Coric have barely scratched the surface on these chip implants, but we already know they’re dangerous. If what happened between Fives and the Chancellor is connected to that…” He left the sentence hanging, the implications more than apparent to them both. Then he sighed quietly. “I’ve got to go start the reports on the Skako Minor mission. If the general bothers them, comm me,” he added, tilting his head towards Domino.

Jesse nodded. “Will do, sir.”

* * *

Rex got about twenty minutes of work done before his comm beeped, from Jesse. “Please tell me you’re just coming to let me know everything’s fine?”

“When have I ever done that? No, the general’s doing that thing again where he gripes about everything except the thing he’s pissed about. Kix is about ready to tranq’ him.”

“I’ll be there.” He set down his datapad and rubbed his eyes with one hand. He hadn’t wanted to be the one to give Skywalker a talking-to, but he might have to be. Fantastic. As he walked back over to the medbay from the officer’s quarters, he commed Cody.

“Rex?”

“Out of nothing but pure curiosity, how fast could Kenobi be at Skywalker’s location?”

“What’s he done now?” Cody sounded as tired as Rex felt.

“I don’t know yet, but he’s been in a mood since we found Fives on Skako Minor,” Rex answered, remembering as the words left his mouth that he hadn’t yet told Cody about that bit of the mission.

“You found Fives?”

“Yeah, he crashed there and turned himself in. Sorry, forgot to tell you.” The medbay was in sight now, and Kix and the general were apparently having a stand-off at the entrance to Domino’s room.

“No kidding,” Cody answered. “Fine, I’ll tell Kenobi his problem’s being a problem.”

“Tell him I’m not responsible for any sedatives my medics happen to administer.”

“Of course.”

What would he do without Cody? Probably would have gone insane a lot sooner. And speaking of insanity…

“General Skywalker, I would recommend against intimidating the medics,” he said when he was in earshot. “They have tranquilizers and very good aim.”

“Rex, you said you keep me updated,” the general said, turning on him.

“Nothing’s changed.” Looking past Kix, he saw Jesse had planted himself between Fives’ bed and the entrance. Good.

“You should’ve told me where you were keeping him.”

“My apologies, General,” Rex replied, purposefully being overly professional. “I would have thought that given the state he was in on Skako Minor, the medbay would be the obvious place to bring him.”

“And as the medic overseeing his treatment while he’s here,” Kix added, “I’m telling you right now, I will not authorize any requests to move him.”

Rex’s facade of professionalism disintegrated under the flare of indignation that Skywalker had wanted to move Fives away from his brothers. “What?” he snapped. “Move him?”

“He’s been on the run for months and only turned himself in out of _necessity_ ,” the general argued. “How do you know--”

“What?” Rex cut him off. “How do I know what? How do I know he won’t run away?” He stared, honestly stupified for a second at the general’s assumption. “Because he’s been _hunted_ for the past three months by any lowlife in the galaxy with a ship and a record looking for Republic credit, and he’s finally _home_ , with his brothers who aren’t going to turn him in, who aren’t going to hurt him--oh! And if you hadn’t noticed, his last batchmate’s back from the dead, so no. No, I don’t think he’s going anywhere, _sir._ ”

“He trapped us in a ray shield and accused the Chancellor of being involved in a mind-control plot--after trying to kill him!”

Rex glared at him. How much did he want this to hurt? Obviously, there was still Anaxes to win, so he couldn’t be too debilitating… but he didn’t like the hold the Chancellor’s wellbeing seemed to have over the general. It was starting to overshadow the wellbeing of the battalion, of the men fighting to protect the Republic _and_ the Chancellor. If Rex were any kind of Jedi, he was pretty sure whatever extra senses they had would be buzzing. “Kix,” he said, not taking his glare off the general. “Go get your science project.”

The medic visibly stiffened. “... Sir, are you sure now’s the best time for that?”

“He needs to see it. Now go get it.”

As Kix left the entrance to the room and Rex took his place, the general watched him hurry away. “What ‘science project?’”

Rex stepped into the room, gesturing for Skywalker to follow him and giving Jesse a pacifying glance. He scanned the room, partially out of habit when entering a different space, and partially to check on Fives and Echo. The latter was laid out under three blankets, though he looked far from drowsy. Fives was sitting up as Rex and the general walked in, and he already looked ten times better than he had, despite the various patches and bandages on his face and torso. Someone must have gotten him to a ‘fresher, too, because he was clean and in fresh blacks, if still a little scraggly around the edges for want of a shave and a haircut. But they were safe and being cared for. That was all that mattered, and that was how Rex wanted things to stay.

He turned to the general, who stood just inside the entrance. “How much of the reports on Fives’ … incidents did you actually read?”

The general’s posture shifted defensively, very aware of his track record on reading reports. “What exactly are you referring to in those reports?”

Rex arched an eyebrow at him, but didn’t push it. “Let’s back up.” He set his helmet down on Fives’ bed. “I know we’ve had a discussion or two about the events in question, but let’s just recap, for the sake of everyone else here. And since we have Fives here, we can do some fact-checking on the way, okay?”

The general looked uncertain, narrowing his eyes first at Rex, then at Fives, then at Rex again. “Okay…”

“Come on, sir, you don’t have to be a Jedi to know if Fives is lying,” Rex said, guessing at the cause of his hesitation. He added quietly to Fives, “Sorry, you’re still terrible at it.” Fives shrugged, unbothered.

“Alright, fine, where do we start?”

“Let’s start with Kamino,” Rex said. “That’s where this all started, right?” He glanced at Fives, who nodded.

He looked back to the general, waiting for him to start talking. After another uncomfortable shift in his posture, he spoke. “You and Fives went with Tup to Kamino, and Fives stayed behind while you came back to the front on Ringo Vinda. Master Ti’s report to the Council stated that Tup died after Fives had convinced a medical droid to perform an unauthorized brain surgery, after which he and the droid disappeared and started sneaking around the facilities.”

“How’d he do?” Rex turned to Fives.

He shrugged. “Pretty good. I trust General Ti’s report.”

“Why couldn’t you just let the Kaminoans do their job?” Skywalker asked. Rex noticed both Jesse and Echo react to his words, their expressions hardening minutely. The general must have picked up on the shift in the room, because he glanced around at them as well.

Fives answered. “You know most clones don’t trust the long-necks, right? Least of all Nala Se.”

“Why? They know everything about you--”

“Exactly. They know so much, and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Tup? They didn’t know what it was that the droid took out of his brain? They literally pick apart our DNA to make us perfect soldiers, and they didn’t know _anything_ about it?”

“Are you saying Nala Se was lying?”

“I’m saying she was hiding something,” Fives insisted. “That’s why I went looking. That’s why I scanned myself and found the _same_ _thing_ in my brain, just… healthier.” He paused, letting that information sink in before, “That’s where this really starts.”

As if on cue, Kix returned, sliding in past the general with a case in one hand and a datapad in the other. “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing you didn’t already know,” Rex answered.

Echo spluttered. “Already know--! Kriff’s sake…”

His incredulity was understandable. It had been Rex’s reaction when Coric and Kix had brought the chips to his attention a couple months ago. “Sorry, Echo, you’re getting a speedrun.” He looked back to the general. “I think Coruscant is where a lot of this gets ugly, isn’t it?”

“Ugly is one word for it.”

“Fives, how did you get to Coruscant?”

“Nala Se and General Ti found me while I was scanning some of the tubies to find out when they put the chip in. I told them what I had found--probably a little more forcefully than I had to,” he admitted, rubbing his face. He needed to sleep. Rex hoped this discussion wrapped up quickly. “General Ti pulled the whole ‘clones are property of the Republic and under the Jedi’s protection’ card to keep Nala Se from shutting the whole thing down. That’s why they brought me to Coruscant--to the Chancellor.”

The general’s brows drew together. “So… you went to see him… willingingly?”

“Yes. Although, Nala Se drugged me on the way over--against my will--so I was unconscious until we reached Coruscant.”

“She _drugged_ you?” Kix cut in. This was news to everyone, apparently.

“Were you still drugged when you met with the Chancellor?” Jesse asked.

Fives sighed, squinting his eye as he thought back. “Probably. I barely remember arriving on Coruscant.” He shook his head carefully. “I just remember coming to in this… metal room, with the Chancellor…”

“Master Ti said that Nala Se was insistent the chips were used for…” The general closed his eyes, thinking, “curbing aggression?”

“She was very insistent, sir. She and the Chancellor both seemed pretty fond of the virus idea, too.” The reports had mentioned that Tup and Fives’ behavior had been caused by a virus picked up on campaign somewhere. Patently ridiculous, in Rex’s opinion, because in a company that sleeps, eats, and trains together, they wouldn’t have been the only victims to a pathogen.

“A virus seems unlikely…” the general said quietly, probably going through the same thought process. “But, Master Ti said the Chancellor asked to speak to you alone.”

Rex saw Fives suppress a shudder. He stepped in to ask, “Out of… curiosity, sir, I know you spoke to the Chancellor about what happened behind closed doors, but you haven’t told me what he said.”

Fives looked to the general, and it was hard to mistake the fear in his expression. He knew the stories wouldn’t line up, didn’t he? The general saw it too, no doubt, and he shifted on his feet. Rex had to admit, he was glad the general was hesitant. It was better than his previous reactions to this subject. “The Chancellor…” He gave a sharp sigh through his nose, looking towards the end of Fives’ bed. “He told me he was trying to reason with you, you didn’t accept it, you--you went off the rails, and the guards tried to restrain you, but you attacked them and stole a blaster before escaping.”

They all looked to Fives, who swallowed nervously. “That’s not what happened,” he said quietly, very quietly.

There was a tense silence as the clones all looked to their general. Rex could practically hear the dissonance clamoring in his head, trying to put two mismatched puzzle pieces together. “The Chancellor… he _lied_ to me?”

“It’s not just you,” Fives blurted, then made a face when he realized that sounded worse.

Rex cut in again, hoping to stabilize the conversation. “Fives, why don’t you just tell us what happened? We haven’t heard this side of the story yet.” Fives nodded, but didn’t speak right away. He was more agitated now, and he kept glancing over to Echo. Rex looked to Kix, who nodded. “Go on,” Rex told Fives, tipping his head towards Echo.

He got up and walked with his IV stand over to Echo’s bed and sat again, reaching out to grasp Echo’s hand tightly. “He asked what I thought the chips were for,” he began. “So I told him. He asked, if there was some kind of plot, how would the chips be controlled? If they’re in our heads, you know? I didn’t know; I told him.” There was a pause, briefly. “There were… three Corries in there with us,” he said, referring to Coruscant Guard troopers. “The Chancellor looked at them. And he told them to execute ‘order sixty-two,’ and it was like a switch flipped. They hadn’t been doing anything much before, but suddenly they were at attention, and then they were pointing their blasters at me and firing. So, yeah, I defended myself, and yeah, I pointed a blaster at the Chancellor for _ordering_ them to kill me.”

“Voice activation?” Kix breathed, and Fives nodded. The medic set his case down and started entering information into the datapad, muttering inaudibly to himself.

General Skywalker had yet to say anything. He was staring at Fives, scrutinizing him. But there wasn’t any malice or ill-intent on his face. Mostly confusion. Rex couldn’t blame him. This news was staggering. When Fives had hinted the Chancellor was part of this plot, no one had imagined it was to this extent. He could _control_ the chips. He could control the whole GAR with his _voice_.

Finally, the general spoke. “You’re telling the truth.” It was a statement.

“You’d know if I weren’t, sir.”

He nodded vaguely. His brow furrowed again, and he looked hard at the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck. “But… I didn’t… I didn’t sense the Chancellor was lying either.” He sounded so lost.

Rex took a step towards him. “Sir, if he’s really part of this whole thing, then he’s been lying about it for well over a decade,” he said. “I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself for not catching him in it.”

“But I’ve--he’s--” the general started, floundering for words. “I’ve known him since I was a kid!”

Kix looked up from his datapad and arched a brow at him. “Wait. Why? How old were you?”

“I was nine, we met after liberating Naboo. What does that have to do with it?”

Kix glanced around the room. “Like a seventy-something politician needs a nine-year-old as what--a _friend?_ No one else finds that weird? Just me?”

Not just him. Jesse was looking at Rex and he could practically hear the alarms going off in his mind. Fives and Echo were exchanging similar glances. “Okay. Um. Kix, that’s…” He couldn’t just ignore it, because Kix was right. That was weird in any context, and even though the clones were barely over fourteen or fifteen at the oldest, they weren’t stupid. “That will be a different discussion later. Because he is right.” In efforts to return the conversation to its original purpose, he asked, “Do you understand now why Fives is better off with us, here, than anywhere else?”

To his immense relief, the general nodded. “Yes. My--I’m sorry,” he added to Fives. “I didn’t want to believe… I should have listened to my gut and to Rex. I’m sorry.”

Unsurprisingly, Fives just shrugged. He was much calmer now. “It’s not your fault. They stacked the deck against me pretty good. But thanks.”

Skywalker nodded. He hesitated, looking torn. Finally, he asked, “What do they look like? The chips?”

Rex looked to the medic. “Kix?”

The medic set down his datapad and opened the case. He walked over to the general to display the neatly organized and labeled glass slides containing almost two score chips. Skywalker’s eyebrows shot up.

“You’ve taken out that many?”

Rex nodded. “The only clone in this room with a chip left is Echo.”

“For obvious reasons,” Echo grumbled.

Fives gave him a smile. “We’ll get you sorted out soon enough.”

Skywalker picked up one of the slides, turning it slowly in his fingers to examine the tissue within. There was an odd expression on his face, one Rex had never seen before. He replaced the slide, and his face shifted to something Rex recognized instantly--from Zyggeria. “They’re slave chips.”

Kix closed the case gently. “They… serve a similar purpose, yes.”

“And the Chancellor can… control them?” He looked to Fives.

“That’s what I saw, sir.”

The familiar expression of righteous fury in Skywalker’s eyes contrasted starkly with the underlying disgust Rex could see in his posture as he stepped away from the case of slides. “I commed Cody to tell General Kenobi you might need to talk,” he said, moving slightly in front of Kix.

Skywalker nodded after a second of thought. “Yeah. Right.” He backed up a couple of steps, but eventually turned and left.

Rex would check in later with him, after he and Kenobi had a talk. They had dropped a lot on him in a short time, which had been Rex’s goal, and he’d known it would leave some marks. But it had worked, in the end. He had agreed not to report Fives, and to let him stay with with company. And they had him on their side concerning the chips, which was another good thing.

“Well,” Kix said, setting down the case in one corner of the room, “that went better than I thought it would when he came over.”

“You’re telling me,” Fives agreed.

Rex let out a breath. “Yeah.” He looked over to Fives. “Looks like you’re stuck with us for a while.”

Echo raised their clasped hands, “Better watch out. Now Domino’s back around, we’ve got a year of pranks to catch up on.”

“You know we’re on campaign, right?” Rex said. “We’ve still got Anaxes to win.”

“They’re already using our algorithm,” Echo said. “We can help. I was all up in their strategic business.”

“Wait until we’ve got some of the machinery out of your system,” Kix told him, poking him in the shoulder above his missing arm.

Echo scowled. “Fine.”

“And maybe when you’re looking less like you’ll break a bone sneezing?” Fives added.

His brother groaned dramatically. “Noooo…. I’ve awoken Fives’ mother hen instincts! I’ll have to bribe Jesse to sneak me out.”

Jesse crossed his arms. “Hold on… Who do you think Fives’ hen in training was?”

The look of absolute mock betrayal on Echo’s face as he flung Fives’ hand away and cried, “You’ve corrupted him!” was enough to get everyone (except Echo) laughing. Force, it felt good, though.

Fives grinned at him, wincing a little when some injury twinged. “Hey, don’t worry. Pretty sure Kix has me booked for a ten-day in here, so I won’t have too much fun without you.”

“Speaking of which,” the medic said and pointed at Fives’ bed, “your first three rotations include maximum bedrest.”

“No arguments here, doc,” Fives said. Before he got up though, he leaned over to press his forehead against Echo’s, their eyes closing briefly to appreciate the gesture. “Rest up, okay?” he said as he sat up again.

“I will if you will.”

“Deal.” On the way back to his bed, Fives snagged Jesse to give him a similar treatment. He patted one of his pauldrons. “You look good, ARC.” And Jesse practically glowed.

“Just because he’s an ARC now doesn’t mean his ego needs to be any bigger,” Kix said.

“Hey.”

“Oh, Echo and I’ll knock him down a peg, right?” Fives said as he lay back in bed.

“Naturally,” his batchmate agreed.

“Like hell you will.”

“I mean I’m gonna need help fixing my goatee with one eye glued shut, that should be humbling enough, I figure,” Fives grinned over at Echo.

Jesse frowned. “And what if I decide you look better without it, hm?”

Rex couldn’t help but snort at the look of warning Fives leveled at Jesse. “Then I’ll tell all the shinies you like going by ‘Coghead.’”

“Get karked, Fives.”

“Bedrest, sorry, can’t.”

“Alright, enough verbal sparring,” Rex finally interrupted. “Jess, you’ve got plenty to do. Domino, get some rest and try not to rile each other up too much. And welcome back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY LISTEN IF YOU GO BACK AND WATCH "ORDERS" WHEN FIVES IS IN THE ROOM ALONE WITH THE EVIL RAISIN MAN--AND THE DOOR OPENS, YOU SEE FIVES ATTACK THE CLONES IN THE ROOM. THE CLONES. WHY? WHY WOULD FIVES ATTACK A BROTHER? BC THEY WERE ATTACKING HIM! WHY? THE CHIP WAS ACTIVATED!!!! IN FRONT OF HIM!!! BY THE CHANCELLOR!!! FIVES TOTALLY F--KING KNOWS ABOUT THE CHANCELLOR!!! anyway hope you enjoyed!  
> Eventually gonna Art about this too, so if you want to see those when they show up, they'll be on my Tumblr @jgvfhl 💙💙


	3. ART

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's art of the end of the fic I guess. Sort of. Never actually happened EXACTLY like this but YEAH Rex bein' Soft.

Rex loves his ARCs. Finally figured out how to post pictures on Ao3!!!!


End file.
